The Truth Shall Set You Free
by YaoiGoddessNekoJin
Summary: A botched robbery. A chance meeting. An unexpected love. Sometimes Fate has a mind of her own. 1x2, some 3x4. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N:** I will go ahead and warn you, Solo is evil in this fic. Don't get me wrong, I like Solo and all, It's just that I needed a character to be Duo's partner in crime and it just didn't feel right to make one up. Also, this fic is AU. (YAY!) Now, on with the show.

**_Chapter I_ **

It was supposed to be a quick job. They were supposed to be in and out in no more than an hour and, most definitely, no one was supposed to get hurt. However, unbeknownst to the two, dark-clad figures sneaking onto the grounds of one of the richer families in New York City, things were about to go horribly wrong.

It was a moonless, starless, and frigid night as the two figures crept closer to the large mansion in front of them. By their appearance, they were both male. The shorter of the two had a long braid trailing behind him as he ran whereas the taller had shorter, almost shoulder-length hair. As the pair finally made it to the front entrance to the mansion, the shorter dropped to his knees and promptly began to pick the lock. He scoffed as the door popped open.

"Geeze, for rich guys they sure don't know how to lock a door." he said in a light, musical voice.

"Quiet." the other shushed quietly. The two quickly turned to the burglar alarm as it gave warning beeps. The shorter man pulled out a small black device and hooked it up to the alarm. It swiftly had the alarm disarmed which gave them the run of the house. They quickly and quietly began to gather up things that appeared to have some value. Once they had gathered up as much as they could carry, the taller called for his companion.

"Duo, come on, we have enough stuff." his voice was slightly deeper than Duo's had been. Duo looked over at his partner in crime, his stunningly beautiful, violet eyes sparkled in the glimmer of the floodlights as they danced into the room through the windows. As he was turning to leave, a sparkle caught his eye. He turned to inspect the area that the sparkle had originated from.

"Hold up a sec Solo." he said. He walked closer to the mantle over the fireplace and gasped at what he saw. Hanging on a ceramic bust, was the most beautiful locket he had ever seen. It was a small, silver heart on a silver chain. The thing that made it so beautiful, however, were the small chunks of amethyst arranged on the heart. Duo gently ran his finger along the locket before picking it up and gingerly placing it in his pocket. He turned and made his way towards Solo. They had almost reached the door when the light came on and they saw a man standing at the bottom of the large staircase. The man was clearly middle aged. He had messy, dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. He looked startled to see two strangers in the middle of his family room. He immediately made for the phone, a quick call to the police in mind. In the blink of an eye, Solo was in front of the man, punching him hard in the stomach. As the man bent over gasping for breath, all hell broke loose when Solo began to wail on the man, punching him and slamming him into various pieces of furniture. The violence escalated when Solo grabbed the telephone, base and all, that the man had been reaching for earlier and began to beat him over the head with it. Duo stood, frozen in place, eyes wide in horror, as he watched his friend beat the defenseless man. He let out a terrified scream when he saw blood begin to pool on the floor. The sight of the crimson liquid spurred Duo into action and he ran to Solo, grabbing onto his arm and forcing him to stop his assault. He could hear the man groaning in pain and he turned tearful eyes onto Solo.

"Please stop." he pleaded urgently, looking into the eyes of his closest friend. They stood still for a moment, the only movement being Duo forcing Solo to drop the bloody phone with trembling hands. Suddenly, the sound of an approaching vehicle could be heard. In a rush, Duo and Solo grabbed their bags and ran as fast as they could across the yard and into the bushes.

xxx

Heero Yuy was on his way home after a hard day at work. The twenty-five year old worked as a district attorney for the state of New York and had to deal with a particularly hard case involving brutal and grotesque murder of a teenage boy. The images from the crime scene photos were still burned into his memory. His best friends, Officers Wufei Chang and Trowa Barton, didn't have it any better, seeing as they were the ones who had to respond to the call of a body being found. He ran a hand through his chocolate, brown hair as he sighed and tried to keep his light blue eyes open. When he was finally home, he pulled into the driveway and was startled at what he saw. Two figures were running across the lawn toward the bushes that surrounded the estate. Sudden worry for his father hit him and he threw the car door open, not even bothering to close it, and ran into the house. What he saw horrified him. There was blood and broken objects everywhere and his father lay in the floor, bloody and beaten. He grabbed the bloody phone and dialed 911. Once he hung up, he cradled his father's head in his lap and desperately tried to hold back the tears that he felt pricking the backs of his eyes. He felt a movement and heard his father groan in pain as he regained consciousness.

"Dad! What happened are you alright?" His deep, gravelly voice was tinged with worry and fear at his father's condition.

"I-I think." His father grunted, wincing in the pain created from the action.

"You'll be okay. We'll get those bastards." Heero growled.

"I-I should b-" Heero's father, Odin, was cut off by a fit of coughs. "be dead."

"What?"

"T-the guy h-hitting me w-wasn't g-going to s-stop. If i-it wasn't for t-the l-little one, I-I would b-be dead."

Fifteen minutes later found Heero talking to the first police officers to arrive on the scene as his father was loaded into the back on an ambulance.

"Could you see them?" asked an Asian officer with short, black hair pulled back into a ponytail. His obsidian eyes were clouded with worry and anger.

"No, Wufei, I couldn't." Heero replied.

"What about your father? Did he get a good look at the perps?" asked the young man beside Wufei, who had auburn hair and bangs that covered one of his bright green eyes.

"I don't know Trowa. He didn't say."

"That's alright. We'll get a statement from him when he's feeling better." Trowa replied, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. None of them could believe what had happened that night. Neither could they fathom what the hours ahead would bring.

TBC

**A/N:** Well, there ya go. The first chapter. I hope everyone likes it so far. It may sound a little rushed because I tried to introduce most of the main characters. I don't think this fic is going to be all that long. Five, six chapters at the most maybe. Well, review and tell me what you think. Let me know if it's worth continuing.

Byesies!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N: **Yay! Another chapter!

_**Chapter II**_

"Not good. Not good. Dammit Solo, what the hell were you thinking?!" Duo was pacing around the small, trashy apartment, frustrated with how his friend had acted earlier that night. He was still terribly shaken about the whole thing, praying that the man they had robbed had not died after they left. The last thing he needed was to face murder charges because of Solo's stupidity. Solo just sat back on the old, ratty couch and watched Duo, amusement dancing in his golden eyes.

"Chill out. It's nothing to worry about." he stated calmly.

"Nothing to worry about? You nearly KILLED that man earlier." Duo's anger and voice were rising with every word that left his mouth. "Have you gone _insane_? You can't just go around beating people up." Duo's voice began to quiet down until he sounded small and scared. "What happened to you Solo? You've changed." Duo gave a defeated sigh and headed down the small hallway towards his bedroom. "I'm going to bed." he whispered as he entered his room. Neither boy spoke to the other for the rest of the night.

xxx

Heero paced the hospital waiting room, nervous about the verdict on whether his father would be okay or not. Wufei and Trowa had arrived at the hospital, after they had filed their report on the events that had taken place that night, and watched their friend pace, worry evident in their eyes. None of them uttered a word for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, a white-haired doctor came towards them. His face was expressionless, making it impossible to tell whether they were going to receive good news or bad. Heero stilled, back rigid, as the doctor came to a stop in front of him.

"Are you Mr. Heero Yuy?" the doctor questioned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger.

"Yes." Heero answered, apprehension lacing his voice. He saw Trowa and Wufei in his peripheral vision. They were sitting up straight and staring intently at the doctor. Heero turned his full attention back on the doctor just in time to see his once emotionless face crack into a large grin.

"I have good news, my boy." he said jovially while patting Heero's back. "Your father's going to be just fine. He sustained some minor lacerations and has heavy bruising, but nothing is broken. We're going to keep him here overnight for observation, though, just in case any complications begin to develop." Heero sighed heavily at the news and collapsed into the chair next to Trowa. He felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.This, however, gave way to the feeling of physical and mental exhaustion. The doctor smiled fondly at Heero and spoke once more before heading back down the hall.

"I'll have a nurse come and get you when he wakes up. You may see him then."

Heero, Trowa, and Wufei were still sitting in the same waiting room chairs when a blonde blur came racing down the hall. Everyone around was shocked at the site. Everyone, that is, except the trio of friends in the waiting room. Trowa just calmly stood and opened his arms in anticipation of what was coming next. The blur barreled into Trowa and came to a grinding halt. Once all movement ceased, it could be seen that the blur was a young man. He had shimmering, blonde hair and crystal blue eyes that were currently filled with worry. Trowa looked down at the man in concern.

"Quatre, are you okay?" he asked quietly as his arms wound around Quatre's waist. The two had been dating ever since high school.

"I'm fine." he turned around in Trowa's arms to face Heero. "How's your father? I came as soon as I heard what had happened."

"The doctor says that he'll be fine. He just needs rest." Heero replied tiredly.

"Do you know who did this?"

"No, but when I find out, the bastards are gonna pay."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Okay, I think I'm gonna stop there. I know it's kinda short, but I need to get to Heero's past and I don't see any other way of doing that except to make it it's own chapter. So, next chapter will be Heero's past and maybe I'll touch some on Duo as well. I am also hoping that future chapters are longer than the first two. Finally, I just wanted to say thank you and that I'm very grateful to the people who reviewed and/or added my story to their favs or alerts list.

**P.S.: **Wow, Heero really sounds like Duo in that last line. -

Byesies!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language (General warnings for whole story.)

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N:** Okay, now we get to see a little about Heero's past and how he met the other guys.

_**Chapter III**_

Heero Yuy, once known as Heero Lowe, grew up with a loving family. Well, mostly, anyway. His mother, Emiko Yuy, was a very nurturing and loving mother. She always went out of her way to make sure everyone around her was healthy and happy. Heero had lived with his mother in Japan for the first sixteen years of his life. They were, as he considered, the best years of his life. His father was never around much. In fact, by the time he turned sixteen, he could barely remember what his father looked like. Shortly after Heero was born, his father, Odin, moved back to his birthplace in the U.S. He rarely called or visited. In Heero's mind, Odin had abandoned him and his mother. After a while Emiko got tired of waiting for Odin and filed for divorce. She never changed her last name back to Yuy, however, but Heero did. He couldn't stand that he had the same last name of the man that he considered a traitor and had it legally changed to Yuy, his mother's maiden name.

When Heero was sixteen, his mother was coming home from work when she was murdered in a drive by shooting, Heero was devastated and shut himself away in an emotional shell. Immediately after the funeral, Odin was awarded custody of Heero and they both went to America. At first, Heero was enraged that he was being forced to live with the man who had caused his mother so much pain, but, after a while, he began to warm up to him. Odin had explained to Heero that the only reason he had moved back to America was so that he could keep his high paying job and provide for his wife and son. He had explained that Emiko and her family had never had much money so he was trying to make enough so that she could go back to school. After being told the full story, Heero had began to slowly forgive Odin. He even started calling him Dad.

On Heero's seventeenth birthday, Odin had given Heero a beautiful silver heart locket that had amethyst stones decorating the outside. When Odin saw the confusion dancing in Heero's eyes, he told him that it was his mother's locket. Odin had given it to her when Heero was born. He then proceeded to open the locket to reveal a picture of the three of them together when Heero was still an infant. He then realized, as tears came to his eyes, that they had _both_ loved her dearly and missed her more with each passing day. Heero decided to use his mother's old ceramic bust to display the locked on the fireplace mantle so that they both could enjoy it.

During high school in America, Heero had spent most of his first semester there alone. After the Christmas break of his first year there, three boys had approached Heero and tried to befriend him. At first, he had tried to brush them off so that they would leave him alone. When that didn't work after several weeks, he began to open up to them little by little. Soon, he, Wufei Chang, Trowa Barton and Trowa's boyfriend, Quatre Winner were best friends. Later in the year, Heero had learned that Quatre was the son of the owner of the Winner Law Firm. It was then that Heero had decided that he would become a district attorney so that he could prosecute the the lowlife scum, like the men who had killed his mother. With the help of Quatre's father after graduation, he soon found himself prosecuting for the state of New York.

xxx

When Duo was a toddler, his parents had abandoned him in Central Park. Somehow he had managed to survive on his own, even though he was too young to even remember what his parents had even named him. He traveled the streets of New York, alone and hungry, doing whatever he could to make it by. When he was seven, he had run into a slightly older boy. It turned out that the boy didn't have a family to go home home to either. They soon befriended each other and it was then that he had learned that the boy didn't have a real name either. He had said that, a few years ago, he had named himself Solo because he was fine on his own and didn't need anyone else. He had told Duo that he had given himself the last name Maxwell, after the Father at a church he had briefly stayed at some years ago. Duo was excited and said he would name himself Duo Maxwell because he needed Solo and they were like brothers. After that, Solo and Duo lived together on the streets and stole in order to survive. Eventually, they were able to buy an apartment together and began to look for jobs. When no one would hire them based on their background, they continued to steal to get by. They had been together ever since.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Well, now you have a little more insight into who Duo and Heero are in this story. Wow, there was absolutely no dialog at all. Hope it wasn't too boring. Oh, and by the way, Heero's mother's name means 'child graced with beauty; smiling child.'

Byesies!


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language (General warnings for whole story.)

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N:** Wow, it's been a little while since I've updated. I've been super busy the past few days with work, chores, life... Times for future updates will vary. I'll try my best to get chapters up quickly, though, because I know all too well how hard it is to wait for updates. Well, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. -

_**Chapter IV**_

Heero rubbed his eyes, trying to force the blurriness away. He was sitting in a hospital chair beside his father's bedside and was dead tired. He had been sitting there for several hours. Once his father woke up, Trowa and Wufei got a statement and they had all talked. He hadn't been able to stay awake for long, though, due to the painkillers in his system. Heero had been sitting there ever since, growing increasingly tired with every second. He started to drift off to sleep when the sound of the door opening jolted him awake. A nurse walked in, a soft smile gracing her features. She was young and her fiery, red hair was pulled into a long ponytail. She walked to the other side of the bed and started to check all of Odin's vitals. She glanced at Heero and noticed that he looked ragged and tired.

"Why don't you head home." she said in a soft voice.

"N-no I couldn't-" he began but was cut off as the nurse spoke again.

"Go on. You look like you could use some rest and the other nurses and I have everything under control here. If anything comes up, I'll make sure that you're contacted." Her smile was larger this time and her eyes held nothing but kindness. Heero nodded briefly and replied with a quiet 'Okay' before standing to take his leave.

Once he arrived home, Heero walked through the door and he immediately noticed the bloodstain on the cream-colored carpet. His stomach began to churn and he felt sick at the sight of the blood and the fact that it belonged to his father. Heero decided to clean it up later and look around to try to see what was missing. He noticed that various decorations, statues, vases and other things that had once decorated the room were now missing. He knew that the things the robbers had taken were rare and expensive items, but, none of that mattered to Heero. He was just relieved that his father was alright and had escaped with his life. He was still puzzled over what Odin had said to him just before he called the police. He was trying to figure out why the 'smaller one', as his father put it, had felt the need to put a stop to what the other was doing. Heero's train of thought was shattered when he turned so he was facing the fireplace mantle. Everything on said mantle was normal and still in its proper place except for the disturbing absence of purple. With a white-hot flash that ran throughout his body, he realized that his mother's necklace was gone. Eyes wide and heart pounding, Heero began to frantically look all around the room, praying that the necklace had just been knocked off somewhere. He got onto his hands and knees, feeling the floor and carelessly tossing things out of his way in case it was somewhere where he wasn't able to see it.

"No, no, no, no, no, no." he kept repeating, hoping he would find the last connection he had to his deceased mother.

After four hours of searching, Heero finally got up off of the floor. He had searched everywhere and realized, with horror, that his mother's necklace had been stolen by the robbers. He gave a defeated sigh and walked to the front door. He figured he would go to Wufei's to see if they had any leads on who the robbers were. He was anxious to get his necklace back from the scumbags that stole it. As soon as he stepped out the door, he was bombarded by flashing lights and yelled questions. 'Sure doesn't take them long to find out about anything.' he thought in annoyance.

xxx

Duo tossed and turned in his bed, unable to go to sleep. He had been thinking over everything that had happened that night. It was then that he remembered the necklace that he had taken. Duo rolled over and turned on his bedside lamp then pulled the necklace from his pocket. He ran his fingers over the stones on the front and watched as the necklace sparkled and glittered in the dim light of the lamp. He then moved his fingers over the side, where the two halves of the locket met and joined. Deciding to open the locket, Duo gasped at what he saw when the inside was revealed. There was a picture of a happy looking family. The woman was beautiful with light brown hair and light blue eyes. She had a cute, laughing, baby boy in her arms. Beside her stood a man who had an arm around her waist. He was a younger version of the man that Solo had hurt that night. Duo instantly felt regret for the events that had taken place earlier. Feeling a sudden thirst, Duo got up and headed into the kitchen for a drink. After getting himself a glass of water, he decided to sit up and watch television for a bit. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Flicking on the tv, he relaxed into the cushions. The tv was on the news when Duo turned it on and he was about to change the channel when something caught his eye. The reporters were interviewing a young man. That, however, wasn't what caught Duo's eye. It was the man's eyes. They were a stunningly clear blue and Duo could have sworn that he'd seen those eyes before. He took the locket back out of his pocket and reopened it. His eyes widened when he realized that the man on the television was the same person as the infant in the picture. Duo turned the volume up to hear what the man had to say.

"_Mr. Yuy, can you tell us a little about the robbery that put your father in the hospital this evening?" one of the reporters asked Heero. He sighed and answered her._

"_Yes, two unidentified men broke into my house this evening while my father was home. He was beaten severely and is currently in the hospital. Among the items stolen was a sterling silver, heart locket with amethyst stones set into the front that belonged to my mother." At this point, Heero turned and faced the camera. "Please, if anyone has seen the necklace or knows a person who has it, contact the authorities. That necklace means **so** much to my father and I." The camera cut away from Heero's pleading eyes and landed on the reporter._

"_Well, there you have it, a robbery, a horrible injury, and a missing locket, will this family ever find peace after this evening's terror? This has been Tracy McCutsen, with Channel 2 Action News, reporting live. Back to you Jake."_

The picture on the screen cut back to a man in the newsroom. Duo just sat, unmoving. He was unable to get the sight of the pleading, blue eyes out of his mind. Feeling his guilt return ten-fold, Duo suddenly felt like crying. He racked his mind for ways of fixing this whole mess. Determination gleamed in Duo's eyes as he realized what he had to do. He would turn himself in. Duo was about to get up and head for the door when he felt two arms wrap around his neck. Warm lips slowly traveled up the side of his neck before stopping at his ear.

"What are you doing?" Solo whispered. Duo shivered at the feel of Solo's breath brushing past his ear.

"I-I just couldn't sleep." Duo answered in a raspy and shaky voice. Solo smirked against Duo's ear and used one of his hands to turn Duo's head towards himself.

"Wh-wha-" Duo started, but was soon cut off as Solo's lips came crashing down on his own. Startled violet eyes widened in surprise. The kiss was just a simple touching of lips and ended as abruptly as it began. When they pulled apart, Solo smirked at the astonishment etched into Duo's features.

"W-why?" Duo whispered, almost afraid to speak too loud. Solo's smirk just grew wider and he replied with three, simple words.

"I love you." As Duo sat there, shell-shocked, Solo got to his feet and left the room. Duo sat in the same place for several minutes before smiling and touching his lips with his fingers. The only thing running through his head was what Solo had said to him. 'Solo loves me. He _loves_ me. _Somebody_ loves me.' Duo's thoughts suddenly turned to what he was planning before Solo had made his revelation. He still felt sorry and guilty for what they had done. He also still felt that Solo had been wrong for using such force against that man. He smiled in confidence as he reached his conclusion. He was still going to turn himself in, but, he wasn't going to say anything about Solo's involvement. He would take all the blame, after all, he was only seventeen. They could only do so much. With that in mind, Duo got off of the couch, grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, missing the evil glint in the eyes watching him from the darkness as he closed the door.

Once Duo reached the police station, he could feel his nerves beginning to stir. He gulped a couple of times before steeling himself and walking up the steps and into the station. He stopped just inside the door and looked around. The place was pretty busy for that time at night. Duo nervously walked to the main desk, getting the attention of the officer behind it.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"U-um, w-well I..." Duo gulped again before continuing. "I'm the one who robbed that m-mansion earlier." The officer looked up, astonished.

"You mean Yuy's house?"

"I-I guess. The one where the man was sent to the hospital." After those words left Duo's mouth, the officer turned to another one and spoke.

"I think you better get Chang and Barton."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Well, there it is. Some questions are answered and others are created. I guess you guys have figured out where the title for this story came from. I'm also happy that this chapter is somewhat longer than previous ones. Anyway, I hope this chapter was enjoyable. This story is moving along a little faster now. On another note, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far. Without these guys, I would probably lose interest and nothing would get updated.

**Thanks:**

pikeebo

pattyard

Dragon77

Knyghtshade


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language (General warnings for whole story.)

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N:** Yay! I'm getting' another chapter written! Now were gonna get to the good stuff! Mya!

_**Chapter V**_

"How long has he been here?" Heero asked in an urgent voice, turning for an instant to glance at Wufei.

"Since two-thirty this morning." Wufei answered. The two were walking briskly toward the interrogation room where the alleged robber was currently being held. Once Trowa and Wufei had arrived at the police station, they had been briefed on the situation as it stood. Afterwards, they immediately called Heero and filled him in on what was happening.

When Heero and Wufei finally made it to the interrogation room, they stopped in front of the one-way mirror. Looking in, Heero gasped at what he saw.

"Is that him?" he asked, amazed.

"Yep, Duo Maxwell. Turned himself in." replied the officer standing beside him.

"Why?" Wufei asked, only just now being able to stop and inquire about the boy.

"That's what we've been tryin' to find out. All he'll say is that he wants to see Mr. Yuy and that he committed the act himself."

"But, my father said there were two of them." Heero stated, thoroughly puzzled by that time.

"I know. He's coverin' for someone. The only question is who." As the officer said this, Heero turned back to the mirror. He found himself studying the boy from head to toe. His head was resting on his arms and his eyes were drooping tiredly, but Heero could still see the glimmer of violet under the heavy lids. Heero had to fight to keep the catch of his breath inaudible to the two beside him. 'His eyes, I've never seen anything like them before. They're beautiful.' he thought to himself, a bit surprised he was capable of such thoughts. His eyes traveled to the boy's hair. With the way the boy was sitting, his long, chocolate braid nearly touched the floor. Heero found himself wondering if the boy's hair was as soft as it looked. As his eyes traveled farther, Heero noticed that the boy was thin, too thin and his baggy clothes looked enormous on him and made him look even thinner.

"Heero?" Heero was snapped out of his very uncharacteristic thoughts by Wufei's questioning voice.

"Huh?"

"Are you going in or are you just going to stand here and daydream?" Wufei raised an eyebrow at his long-time friend's strange behavior. Heero turned his head away to avoid showing the embarrassment written across his features.

"Uh, yeah." he mumbled, moving toward the entrance to the small, interrogation room. He laid his hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly, almost hesitantly. He was very nervous and the weird thing about it was that he had no idea _why_ he was so nervous. He unconsciously held his breath and pushed the door open.

Duo's head snapped up as he heard the door creak open. He had been sitting in the same chair since two-thirty and was getting tired of this whole waiting thing. After he got there, the first officer he talked to said he had to wait for a couple of other officers and after that, he was told he had to wait for the only one he really wanted to talk to. So, when his ears finally picked up the sound of the door being opened, he was relieved that his waiting was over. He just stared as the man he had seen on the television walked into the room. He raised up and folded his hands on the table in front of him. As the man was making his way towards the table, Duo stopped to take in his appearance for the first time. He marveled at the way the man's messy, brown hair, in no way, clashed with his sharp-looking outfit. And, now that he saw the man in person, he could see that his light blue eyes had flecks of dark blue in them. Duo thought they were gorgeous, thought _he_ was gorgeous. Duo soon pulled himself from that line of thought. He had not come here to ogle the man in front of him. He had something to do and he was _going_ to do it.

While making his way toward the table in the middle of the room, Heero had seen the boy's eyes on him. He felt oddly nervous under the scrutiny of the boy in front of him. He pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.

"I'm Heero Yuy. You wanted to see me?" he asked, holding out his hand for the boy to shake. The boy took the offered hand and introduced himself to Heero.

"I'm Duo Maxwell." Duo paused for a moment, unsure of how to go about phrasing what he had to say. "I want to start by just saying I'm sorry. What w- _I _did was wrong and I just wanted you to know that I truly regret my actions." Duo paused, gaging Heero's response . He really surprised himself. He sounded really _proper_. 'Not bad for a 'street rat'.' he thought, slightly bitter. While he was immersed in his thoughts, Duo saw a look of shock and surprise flit across Heero's face and inwardly smirked.

Heero was shocked, to say the least. He was trying to rack his brain for reasons this complete stranger and thief was apologizing to him for something he had probably been doing for a very long time. He looked at Duo and wondered what other surprises he had in store for him.

"I also wanted to give you this." Heero watched as Duo carefully pulled something out of his pocket. His eyes widened considerably when he caught the familiar purple glint of the object.

"Tha-that's-" he stuttered. He reached out as Duo handed him the locket, a sad smile on his face.

"When I saw it, I thought it was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen. That's why I took it, but then, when I saw the picture on the inside and saw you on the news, I-I just felt really bad and I wanted to return it to you." Heero looked up, even more astonished by what he'd just heard, and searched Duo's eyes. What he found was sincere regret and complete honesty.

"Thank you." he said, eyes still locked with the beautiful violet ones of the boy across from him. He then began to speak once more. "I have one question." This simple statement brought immense confusion to Duo's eyes. "Who was your accomplice?" Heero noted that, when he asked the question, Duo slightly cringed.

"Uh, n-no one. I d-did it b-by myself." Duo inwardly cursed himself for stumbling over his words. He knew Heero could see right through him.

"Quit screwing around. My father said that there were two of you."

"H-he's mistaken. I-it was just me." Heero could tell that Duo was getting increasingly nervous.

"Well, the way I see it, There are two options here. Either you had an accomplice or you assaulted my father yourself. Honestly, I don't think you're capable of that. You're too kind." Duo blushed slightly and looked down at the table in order to hide any indication of the truth that his face might have held. Heero put his hand on top of Duo's in a consoling gesture.

"Look, I know you're scared. I can work out a deal with you if you'll just tell me who he is. Why should you take the fall alone?" Duo just pulled his hand out from under Heero's and turned his head away, a pained expression on his face. He didn't want to rat Solo out, but at the same time, for some unknown reason, he wanted to appease the man sitting in front of him. Heero struck a nerve when he continued.

"This man, whoever he is, must not care about you."

"What?!"

"Well, he's sitting idly by while you take the blame for everything. I mean, he's getting off pretty easily, what with you taking the blame for aggravated assault, robbery, breaking an entering, trespassing..." Heero's voice had taken on a tone of indifference.

"I-it won't be that bad, I'm only seventeen." Duo replied indignantly.

"Oh, but that's close enough. You'll most likely be tried as an adult, seeing as the crime was so cruel and vicious. I mean, come on, beating a middle-aged, defenseless man nearly to death. I wouldn't be surprised if you got, oh, thirty years, give or take a few of course." Duo was shocked at what Heero was saying.

"B-b-but, h-he said I w-wouldn't go to j-jail." Duo thought back to the conversation that had taken place right after they had left the mansion.

_After running for about five minutes, the two robbers had ducked into an alley to catch their breath._

"_Aw man, I can't get caught for this." Solo said, turning to Duo._

"_Why?" Duo asked his friend._

"_'Cause, I'll go to jail for sure."_

"_What about me." Duo's voice had taken on a slightly miffed tone._

"_Well, it doesn't matter if you get caught. You're only seventeen. The worst they could do to you would be probation or something."_

"_Oh."_

"_Yeah, see, If **I** get caught, we'd be separated, but, if **you** got caught, we'd still be able to stay together." Duo smiled at the thought. His earlier strife over what had happened was momentarily forgotten during his conversation with Solo._

Heero looked at Duo, eyes showing nothing but seriousness. He wondered what other lies this jerk had told him. He was suddenly feeling very defensive of the boy.

"What else did he tell you?"

"H-he said t-that he would g-go to jail i-if he got c-caught, but I w-wouldn't. He s-said that because I-I was seventeen, I would o-only get p-probation."

"What a load of crap. Even if you were tried as a minor, you would still be sent to a corrections facility." Duo took in a choked breath once he heard this new information. He was very unsure of himself now. Not only was he scared, but he also felt used. He lowered his head in shame. He was such an idiot. Duo felt tears begin to prick his eyes.

"H-he said he loved me." he whispered with a strained voice.

"He doesn't. Not if he treated you so poorly." With these words, tears began to stream down his cheeks. Heero saw tiny droplets fall onto the table under Duo's head and he moved out of his chair and over to the boy's side. Heero rubbed his trembling back, trying to comfort him.

"I thought he loved me." Duo laughed. It was hollow and held no mirth. "But, of course, nobody ever has so why would they start now?" At this remark, Heero did something that surprised both him and Duo. He brought his free hand and turned Duo's face so that he was looking at him. He then brushed his bangs out of his eyes and wiped the tears from his face. Duo didn't know what to do in response to this gesture and just sat there, eyes wide.

"Don't say that." Heero ordered quietly. "There's no possible way it can be true. I've only known you for fifteen minutes and I already think you're one of the kindest people I've ever met. It's impossible for anybody not to love you." Duo's face turned dark crimson and he turned away from Heero, trying, in vain, to hide it.

xxx

A couple of minutes after Heero had gone into the interrogation room, the cop that Duo had first talked to left and Trowa appeared next to Wufei. He handed the Asian a steaming cup of coffee, taking a sip from his own.

"Thanks." Wufei said.

"No problem." Trowa replied. Those were the only words exchanged as they watched their friend interact with the robber. They got a mild surprise when said robber pulled out Heero's lost necklace and returned it to it's rightful owner. They were shocked and amazed, however, when they saw the way their friend was acting towards the boy. They had never before seen their stoic friend act with such compassion and kindness before.

"Am I dreaming or something?" Wufei asked in a startled voice. Trowa stayed silent, still in shock over what they had seen. The two were pulled from their stupor when the sound of approaching, clicking footsteps could be heard. They just stood there as the person walked right past them and into the interrogation room.

xxx

Heero and Duo jumped as the door was opened rather swiftly and loudly. Heero pulled his hands from Duo and turned to face the door as a blonde woman entered. He groaned inwardly as she took off her sunglasses and introduced herself.

"Hello Heero." she said first, as flirtatiously as she could before turning back to Duo. "Hello Mr. Maxwell. My name is Relena Peacecraft and I'll be your state appointed lawyer.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Hey, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I was hit with a spell of writer's block and it took quite a while before I got to a point where I was able to take off with it. Yay! So far, this is the longest chapter of the fic. Also, I would like to thank all of my faithful reviewers. I haven't forgotten about you. I was going to respond to your reviews tonight, but, seeing as it's three-thirty in the morning, I'll do it tomorrow. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.

On a side note, I don't know if my 30 year sentence is correct, it just looked like a good number to me. Also, the way this is going, it wiil be longer than expected.

I'm tired, goodnight all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language (General warnings for whole story.)

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N: **Okay, here's the sixth chapter. Sorry for the wait. I've sort of had a lack of inspiration and getting your sister's thumb jabbed into your eye doesn't really help the writing process at all. But, luckily, I've got the next chapter now and maybe I can get the rest of this thing written pretty quickly. -

_**Chapter VI**_

Heero stood, this time on the other side of the one-way mirror, watching as Relena talked quietly with her client. He couldn't believe that she, of all people, had gotten this particular case and had expressed his distaste to Wufei and Trowa as soon as he had left the room. He and Relena met in law school and it was clearly evident that she had immediately fallen for him. He had liked her at first, but, with her relentless attempts to get his attention, he had quickly grown to hate her. She was the kind of person that just didn't take no for an answer. Now, Relena took to flirting with him and acting like they were together every time she saw him. At the moment, he was grateful to be in a separate room from her, though he did feel bad for Duo.

When Relena was finished speaking with Duo, she motioned for Wufei and Trowa to come in and question him. Instead of going in, however, they just kept their places. Heero turned questioning eyes to his two friends. Wufei smirked before he began to speak.

"He already trusts you. You'll have a better chance of getting anything out of him." Trowa nodded in agreement, the same smirk plastered on his face. Heero just huffed and gave a curt nod before walking back into the room. Once he was gone, Wufei and Trowa turned back to the window.

"I can't believe he's made a connection with that boy in such a short amount of time." Trowa commented.

"I can't believe that boy seemed to like Heero right off the bat. Nobody likes him that quickly. Even we had to really get to know him and get past his defenses first. Seems this Duo kid is good at breaking into more than just houses." Wufei added.

"Except Relena." Trowa murmured in reference to Wufei's second statement. Wufei chuckled a bit before answering.

"She doesn't count. Relena is a different species completely." Trowa laughed at his friend's comment before becoming silent once more.

xxx

Relena was surprised yet pleased when she saw Heero walk through the door instead of Wufei or Trowa. She eyed him for a minute and, as he made his way closer to the table, flipped her brownish, blonde hair over her shoulder in a very flirtatious manner. Heero just rolled his eyes and pulled up a chair at the end of the table. He turned his head to look into scared and unsure, violet eyes.

"So, are you going to tell me who helped you do this?" Heero spoke in a soft and calm voice. Duo just stared for a moment before taking in a shuddering breath and releasing a determined sigh.

"He may have lied to me, but he's still my friend and I care about him. I'm not going to just sell him out like that. He's the only one who's ever treated me like I actually matter." Duo said quietly, maintaining eye contact with Heero who stood and slammed his hand down onto the table, making both Duo and Relena jump in surprise.

"_You_ don't want to sell _him_ out? _He's_ the on who sold _you_ out!" Heero's voice began to rise as he was speaking. Duo shook his head vehemently before countering Heero's remark.

"Not true! He didn't make me come. I came on my own."

"What are you, stupid? Can't you see how he played you? He didn't _have_ to make you come. He knew you would come on your own as soon as he planted that shit about getting to stay together in your head." Heero was yelling now as his anger only grew with each word he spoke. "Don't tell me that you're actually holding on to the hope that he _didn't_ lie about loving you as well. If you are then you're more of an idiot than I thought. There's no way in hell that he loves you. He just saw how utterly clueless you were and decided to take advantage of that to cover his own ass." Heero jumped when he felt arms wrap around him from behind. He growled deep in his throat. He knew exactly who was behind him. The words whispered in his ear only confirmed it.

"Shh. Calm down, honey." Relena made sure to get so close to Heero's ear so that he could feel her breath ghosting over it.

xxx

Trowa and Wufei looked in on the scene unfolding before them with a mixture of surprise, anticipation, and disgust written on their faces. They were surprised at how quickly Heero had shifted gears and began yelling at Duo, they were anticipating the fact that Heero was very likely to become physical in his anger, and disgusted at Relena's actions.

"Well, there goes _that _connection." Wufei said, a slightly joking tone in his voice.

xxx

Heero, to everyones surprise, stopped his yelling. However, it wasn't because of Relena, he stopped because of the pained expression on Duo's face and the watery tears in his beautiful, violet eyes. Heero didn't like that expression and it was made even worse with the knowledge that he was the one who caused it. He knew that he had gone too far with his tirade, but he just couldn't help it. He was extremely angry, not at Duo, but at this man, whoever he was, for doing such a thing to such an obviously sweet boy. He forcefully pulled Relena's arms from around him and went to crouch down in front of Duo for the second time that day.

"Look, I apologize for losing my temper like that, but you just don't seem to understand. You're protecting someone who's doing nothing but using you." As Heero was talking, Duo turned his head away and stared at the table.

"Just go away." he whispered. Heero sighed, frustrated, and rose to his feet to leave. Before he could exit the room, however, Relena stopped him by stepping in front of him. She gave a sickly-sweet smile and Heero knew that whatever she wanted was _not _going to be good; for him.

"Heero," she began. "your little temper tantrum just now wasn't very nice. Now that that's said, would you like to go out to dinner this evening? I know this really nice restaurant we could go to."

"Sorry, Relena. I'm going to visit my father later." He said while trying to stay as polite as possible, considering who he was talking to. Heero walked around Relena and exited the room.

"Gods, I hate that woman." he muttered under his breath as he left.

xxx

Later that evening, Heero was sitting beside his father's hospital bed, waiting for the doctor to get the discharge papers ready.

"So, he just _gave_ the necklace back?" Odin asked, amazed.

"Yeah, he said he felt bad for taking it." Heero replied.

"Do you believe him or do you think he's just trying to get in your good graces?"

"He's telling the truth, there's no doubt about that. You can tell that just by looking into his eyes. He won't tell me who helped him, though."

"Why not? From your description, he's not the one who attacked me. Why is he putting himself in even more trouble?"

"Because he's convinced that the other guy loves him. He doesn't see that he's being used." Heero sighed and slumped back in his chair. Odin smiled at his son with a with a sly gleam in his blue eyes.

"Seems like you've taken a liking to this boy." Heero's eyes stayed downcast but widened considerably at his father's comment.

"Yeah, uh, well, he's just the kind of person that makes you want to protect him." Odin just laughed at his son. He was happy that Heero had found someone who made him comfortable with being himself. Odin had already heard from Wufei and Trowa and was surprised to hear how kind and gentle Heero was being with the boy, aside from his outburst earlier, that is.

"So, has the court date for his bail hearing been set?"

"Tomorrow."

"So soon?" Odin was thoroughly puzzled. Court dates were hardly ever set that quickly.

"Yeah, well, Relena can be very persuasive at times." Odin laughed at his son for a second time. He had met Relena before and had seen how she acted around Heero. It was no wonder that his son sounded displeased to be working so closely with the woman.

An hour later, Heero was pushing his father's wheelchair as they made their way out to his car. It had taken an hour for the doctor to return with all of the necessary paperwork. In that time, Heero and Odin had discussed what should be done about Duo's bail. Heero was conflicted about what he should do. He didn't want Duo to have to spend the entire time in jail, there was no telling how long it would be until there was an actual trial. He also didn't like the idea of having Duo go back to the man who had deceived him and taken advantage of him. He had to think of _something_ before the hearing the following day.

xxx

Duo was so nervous that he was trembling as he walked, alongside Relena, into the courtroom. He knew this was just a bail hearing but that didn't calm him at all. The knowledge that, no matter what the bail was set at, he wouldn't have enough money to pay it prevented him from calming down. He wondered if Solo would come for him because he certainly didn't want to go to jail.

When Duo and Relena finally approached the table that they were to be seated at, Duo glanced over to the opposite side of the courtroom. He was surprised at what, or who, he saw. There, seated behind the table for the DA, was none other than Heero Yuy. 'I wonder why he's here.' Duo thought as he and Relena took their seats. He leaned over to ask Relena that very question.

"Why's Heero here?" he whispered.

"Oh, you didn't know?" she asked, a tone of superiority in her voice.

"Know what?"

"Heero works for the District Attorney. He'll be the prosecutor for your trial." Duo blinked rapidly, trying to process the information he had just received.

"What?! H-how did_ that_ happen?"

"Couldn't you tell that he at least had _something_ to do with the case by the way he was questioning you?"

"No! I just thought he wanted to know who beat up his father!" Relena gave a dramatic sigh before answering.

"You really _are _an idiot aren't you?" Duo growled deep in his throat before huffily slumping into his chair. He wanted to yell at the woman for calling him an idiot, but decided it would be best if he didn't cause a scene in the middle of a courtroom. He really didn't like Relena, though. In fact, he couldn't stand her. He hated the way she acted all high and mighty, like she was better than everyone else. He didn't really know why, but he also hated the way she was always hanging all over Heero. The poor guy looked like he was being mauled by a wild animal every time she latched onto him with her perfectly manicured claws. Even though he just met them the day before, Duo could tell that Relena was infatuated with Heero. Duo wasn't sure where Heero stood in the situation. He seemed to avoid Relena quite a bit, but he never came right out and told her no. Duo was pretty good at reading people, he had to be in order to survive on the streets, but, this man, Heero Yuy, was a complete mystery to him.

xxx

Heero had been watching the exchange between Relena and Duo. He was upset when he heard Relena call Duo an idiot, but soon calmed down as he watched the comical expressions passing over Duo's face while he was deep in thought. He chuckled quietly to himself and thought that he would like to see what other expressions the boy could make. Heero shook the thought from his head as his attention was diverted to the bailiff entering the room.

"All rise. The honorable Judge Marissa Shanks presiding." the man said and watched as everyone in the room stood. The judge walked into the courtroom and made her way to her seat. Judge Marissa was a short and fairly young woman. She had short, curly, brown hair and had a pair of black glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Her unusually crimson-colored eyes scanned the courtroom as she took her seat. Once she was seated, the bailiff spoke again.

"You may be seated." Everyone in the room, except Heero and Relena, returned to their seats. The judge spoke, for the first time, her voice light but serious.

"I understand that we are here to have bail set for," she paused, looking at a paper she had in front of her. "Duo Maxwell."

"Yes, your honor." Heero answered her. "The defendant, with the help of an accomplice, broke into and robbed the home of Odin Lowe, who was also assaulted in the process."

"Okay, do you have a recommendation for bail?"

"Yes, in the interest of the ongoing investigation into the defendant's accomplice, I'm going to go out on a limb here and request something that had never been done before." he paused for a moment, a suspenseful silence filling the room. "I recommend that the defendant, Duo Maxwell, be released into the custody of Odin Lowe and placed under house arrest."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Okay, just to say this, I know that Heero would not be given Duo's case due to conflict of interest, since it was _his_ house that was robbed and _his_ father that was assaulted, but, for the sake of the plot line, I say, screw conflict of interest. - Hehe. Look forward to Heero's reasoning behind his odd request and the judge's decision in the next chapter. Anyway, review and tell me what you thought of chapter six.

And, a special thanks to all of my loyal reviewers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language (General warnings for whole story.)

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. - I also don't own _RENT_. That belongs to the amazing Jonathan Larson.

**A/N:** I am SO sorry for being so incredibly late with this update!! I didn't mean to get so behind, but the drama called life demanded all of my attention. Not to mention that I've just felt like reading lately. I go through these phases of drawing, reading, and writing. I had been writing for a while, so I've just been in the mood to read. Well, since you guys had to wait so long, I'm making this an extra long update. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!! -

_**Chapter VII**_

The entire courtroom was silent as Heero's statement was being processed. Everyone was staring, dumbfounded, at the young prosecutor. The first one to snap out of her stupor was Judge Marissa.

"Council, my chambers. Now!" she snapped as she stood, exiting the courtroom.

"What the hell is going on here?" Marissa questioned once she and the two lawyers were seated in her chambers.

"Don't look at me." Relena muttered, looking nervously from the judge, to Heero, and back again. Heero looked at Relena and then Marissa, looking her in the eye.

"Your honor," he started. "if you will let me explain. I know that this request is unheard of, but I honestly believe that this - _arrangement_ is the best option in the situation."

"Please, do enlighten me." Marissa said, sarcastically. Heero cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Well, I don't believe a stay in jail is the right solution for this boy and, if he is released of gets out on bail, it is my belief that he will go back to his accomplice." Heero was cut off as Marissa stated what she thought.

"So, let him go. Have a couple of detectives follow him and you've got them both."

"Yes, but, I believe he would be in danger if he does return. From what I've heard, his friend sounds mentally unstable. There's no way of knowing what will happen if he does go back. That's why, I've come to the conclusion that it would benefit everyone if he were placed with Odin Lowe. After all, it _was_ him that he robbed and, the boy has no parents or legal guardian. It will also give me a chance to find out exactly who Mr. Maxwell's accomplice was"

"So, you're suggesting that, for the duration of the trial, Odin Lowe will have legal guardianship of Duo Maxwell." Marissa stated, thoughtfully. After a moment, she looked to Relena. "Do you have any objections Ms. Peacecraft?" Relena jumped at hearing the question being directed at her.

"Uh, n-no." she stuttered, too in shock at everything that was happening. Marissa sighed, closing her crimson eyes in thought.

"Alright, return to the courtroom and I'll be out shortly with my decision."

xxx

Duo was thoroughly confused. He was sure that _normal prosecutors_ didn't try to get the custody of the defendant to go to their father. Not to mention that, said defendant _was_ on trial for robbing said father. He just couldn't figure this guy out. Duo was torn from his thoughts as Relena and Heero re-entered the room. Duo stared at Heero as he made his way back to his seat. The man had a smug look on his face, yet it was tinged with only a slight hint of uncertainty. Duo sat there, just admiring Heero from afar. That is, until a mass of pale pink polyester obstructed his view. He glared, cursing inwardly, and shifted his gaze to look at Relena's face. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and jealousy. Heh. He figured that she would be jealous. After all, if the judge approved it, he would get to _live_ with Heero for a while. He liked that idea, actually. It was a hell of a lot better than spending that time in jail.

"So, what'd she say?" He wanted to know. Relena let out a 'humph' before answering.

"She _hasn't_." her words were clipped and to the point.

"Geez, ya don't gotta be so uptight." Duo mumbled, earning a poisonous glare from Relena. Moments later, the door behind the judge's stand opened and everyone was asked to stand once more. As Marissa entered the courtroom for the second time, she kept her eyes on some obscure spot in front of her and kept her expression carefully guarded. She quietly took her seat and proceeded to lift her head. For Duo, her silence was stifling. He was anxious to find out if he was going to go to jail or stay with Heero's father. When Marissa finally opened her mouth to speak, Duo was on the edge of his seat.

"Mr. Yuy, I have taken your requests into deep consideration and have made my final decision." Marissa paused with a sigh. "I am granting your request. Starting today, Duo Maxwell is to be placed in the custody of Odin Lowe and also placed under house arrest." she ended her statement by firmly banging her gavel. "Court is adjourned." Before taking her leave, Marissa looked around the courtroom at the amazed faces. Heero's expression was surprised but pleased. Relena wore a look of astonishment on her face. She also had a slight hint of jealousy underlining her amazement. Duo was a different matter all together. He was surprised beyond belief. So much so, in fact, that his brain was still trying to process what had just happened. Suddenly, however, he began to shake with uncontrollable giggles as he imagined a little Duo-hamster in his head, braid and all, running on its little wheel before tripping and falling flat on its face. Relena cut her eyes at Duo before deciding to go flirt with Heero. She walked up to him and and grabbed him into a hug.

"Congratulations." she whispered in what she thought was a seductive manner. "Wanna come over to my place tonight to celebrate?"

"No thanks." Heero responded as he removed her arms from around him. "I have a new occupant to get settled in." Relena pouted.

"Have your dad do that." Heero scowled at the woman in front of him before pushing her aside, heading for Duo, who was still giggling at his earlier thought.

"What's so funny?" Heero asked, coming to a stop in front of the boy.

"Hamsters!!" Duo exclaimed rather loudly. Heero looked perplexed by the boy's outburst. 'What have I gotten myself into?' he questioned himself silently. At the look on Heero's face, Duo's giggling turned into full blown laughter as he doubled over, clutching his stomach. Suddenly, all of his laughter ceased and he raised up, a look of complete seriousness on his face.

"I'm still mad at you for yelling at me earlier." Heero raised one of his eyebrows, his blue, crystalline eyes clouded with confusion. Duo couldn't help himself and began to giggle once more. "You make funny faces." Duo stated in a child-like manner. Heero just shook his head at the boy's antics and began walking towards the door. He paused and turned to Duo.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Hell yeah. It's better than jail." Duo hurriedly followed Heero out of the courthouse.

xxx

Duo was amazed at how many luxuries a limo had. He couldn't keep himself still as he fiddled around with the various things. So far, he had discovered a mini bar, a hidden television, and a secret door that raised to reveal a hot tub. Duo was perplexed. How on earth could they fit a hot tub in a car. And, more importantly, how did all of the water not slosh out while the vehicle was in motion. Heero watch in silent amusement as Duo continued tinkering with anything he could find. To him, Duo resembled an awestruck child. It was hard to believe that this seemingly carefree boy was a criminal. He was just so cheerful and bright. Heero also took this time to study the boy's mannerisms. He noted the way he slightly puckered his lips when deep in thought, the way his violet eyes sparkled in curiosity, the way he drummed his fingers when he was desperately trying to contain his excitement and sit still. And, before he knew it, Heero found himself growing fonder of the boy by the minute.

As the limo pulled up the long drive of the all-to-familiar mansion, Duo began to feel nervous. This would be the first time since the incident that he would see Mr. Lowe and the wasn't sure what to expect from the man. He was positive the man would be furious with him, he was just unsure of what the man would do to punish him for what he and Solo had done. He could feel his hands begin to tremble, like they had done in the courthouse, as Heero came around and opened his door for him. As Duo stepped out, he saw Odin Lowe step out onto the porch, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Father." Heero greeted as they approached the man. He stepped out of the way and pushed the timid Duo forwards. "This is Duo Maxwell." There was a deafening silence before Duo decided to try and fill it.

"Uh...hiandi'msorryforwhatwedidnobodywassupposedtogethurtandiknowyoucanprobablyneverforgivemebutijustwantedtoapologize." Duo said, all in one, rushed breath. Duo cringed slightly, waiting to be berated by the older man, but it never came. Odin's face suddenly broke out into a warm grin. He patted Duo on the shoulder and chuckled. Amazingly, he understood every word that flew out of Duo's mouth. Duo laughed nervously and gave a lopsided smile. Odin reached out a hand for Duo to shake.

"It's nice to meet you Duo." Duo smiled, a true smile that reached his amethyst eyes and took the proffered hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." Duo replied cheerfully. This made Odin's smile brighten.

"Well, are you hungry Duo?"

"Famished!" Duo exclaimed, then did a double take and muttered. "Wow, didn't even know I knew such a big word." This made Odin laugh outright and Heero chuckle under his breath. They all smiled as they entered the house, Duo's cheerful personality brightening the whole day.

xxx

Later that day, after everyone had eaten their fill, Heero, Odin, and Duo all sat on the couch in the family room of the house. Duo animatedly relayed anecdotes, from his time spent on the streets, to the two other men in the room. They all got a good laugh out of Duo's childhood foolishness.

"And, then, there was the time that my friend, Hilde, convinced me that I was a superhero. She told me I could fly and told me to go get food from the local vendors. Of course, being as gullible as I was, I went. I got all the way to the stand, climbed onto the awning, got the food, and, then, when the vendor realized that I had stolen from him, I jumped off of the awning and tried to fly away. Needless to say, I ended up falling flat on the ground." Duo chuckled at the memory, as did the other two in the room.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Odin asked.

"Nope." Duo shook his head in a child-like manner. "The guy who owned the stand had been trying to get me down and I ended up falling on him. I thanked him for breaking my fall and scurried off with my friends, who were laughing their asses off as the watched everything unfold." The room was filled with hearty laughter as Duo's tale came to a close. Once the little chat was dieing down, Heero reached over and grabbed the television remote.

"Would you like to watch something on tv, Duo?" he asked as he held the remote out for Duo to take.

"Shoot yeah!" Duo exclaimed, promptly turning the tv on once the remote was in his hand. When Duo pressed the 'guide' button and the guide popped up on the huge screen, his eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Holy shit! Look at all the channels!" he said, astonished as he flipped through page after page of channels.

"So, I assume you don't have digital cable back where you live." Heero asked, more of a rhetorical question than anything else.

"Nope. Why do ya think I have to steal. I don't got a penny to my name." Duo replied. "Everything I got I either stole it or bought it using stolen money."

"Why don't you just get a job?" Odin wondered aloud. Duo turned and stared at him with a look that screamed, 'you can't be serious.'

"I'm a seventeen year old street rat who doesn't have a formal education. You do the math." Odin felt a little put off by the comment and the boy's slightly condescending tone, but, moreover, he felt a deep sympathy for the boy. Odin's dark, blue eyes clouded in concern. From Duo's behavior alone, he seemed happy enough, but his eyes told a completely different story. Odin could see the past hurt, heartache, and tragedy hidden deep in the amethyst pools. He had no doubt that his son had seen it as well and wondered if that was part of the reason Heero had asked for the boy's custody and was treating the him so well now. Odin was torn from his thoughts as the boy beside him let out a yelp of excitement.

"AWESOME!!" Duo shrieked in happiness. Odin and Heero both gave the boy odd looks. When he noticed their stares, he laughed nervously and smiled. 'Great, way to go. Just make everyone think you're an idiot why don't ya.' he thought sarcastically.

"What is is?" Heero finally asked.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Well, _RENT_ is about to come on."

"What's that?" Odin asked, an amused smile playing at his lips.

"Only the greatest movie and musical ever made!" Duo replied enthusiastically. "I like it because it's not sugar-coated like most movies. It shows the hard, cold truth about the way people who don't have a lot of money live."

"The way you live." Heero said, though it was more of a question than a statement. Duo nodded his head and spoke.

"Sorta, yeah." This piqued the interest of both Heero and his father. They thought this would be a chance to really get some insight on the type of life Duo had led thus far. Maybe then they could understand why he does the things he does a little better.

"What's it about?" Odin asked. Duo's eyes brightened at the question and he quickly pressed the info button and began to read aloud.

"'Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, (2005), Set in New York City's gritty East Village, the revolutionary rock opera _RENT_ tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent. "Measuring their lives in love," these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness, and the AIDS epidemic. _RENT_ is based on Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer and Tony award winning musical, one of the longest running shows on Broadway. The raw and riveting musical stars Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, and Tracie Thoms and is directed by Chris Columbus.'" Once he was finished reading from the screen, Duo looked up, expectantly at Odin who smiled in return.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's watch it."

As the movie began and the first notes of 'Seasons of Love' played, Duo was wiggling in his seat. A sort of swaying/dancing movement, all while sitting down. Heero and Odin were thoroughly amused by the odd movements the boy was making. When the song came to an end, and the footage of New York City began, Duo started speaking along with the voice on the movie.

"December twenty-fourth, nineteen eighty-nine. Nine pm, eastern standard time. From here on in, I shoot without a script. See if anything comes of it. Instead of my old shit."

As the movie wore on, everyone was entranced and, by the end, Duo was in tears. Heero and Odin were not far behind, both trying desperately to keep the floodgates from opening. Duo turned to them, a huge, goofy grin on his face and tears still running down his cheeks every so often.

"Well, what'd ya think?" he asked, hopeful that they enjoyed it as much as he did. Heero and Odin shared a glance with each other, blue eyes meeting. Both of them now had more knowledge of what Duo's life was like and both felt a deep sympathy for the boy. They both thought the movie was amazing, but because of the insight it gave them into the boy's life, both treasured the experience even more.

"It was great." Heero cleared his throat and finally broke the silence. Duo looked at him, an expression of happiness gracing his features, violet eyes sparkling with joy.

"I'm glad." The room fell silent once more, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Odin looked down at his watch and noticed it read '12:01'. As if on cue, Duo let out a rather large yawn, one that shook his entire frame. Odin laughed at the boy and rose to stretch.

"Well, it's getting late. Shall we call it a night?" Duo nodded and Odin continued. "Heero will show you to your room. If you need anything, fell free to ask." With that, he turned and headed up the stairs to his room. Heero and Duo both stood as well, turning to one another.

"Hn. If you'll follow me..." Heero drifted off as he turned to leave. Duo hastily made to follow. As the two made their way up the flight of stairs, everything was silent, leaving Duo some time to think to himself.

'I would really like to know why they're being so nice to me.' he thought to himself. 'I mean, I _did_ break into their house. Well, Solo and I anyway.' Duo was so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed that Heero had stopped and ended up bumping into him. Duo jumped back, blushing and trying his best to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry." he managed to squeak. Heero turned. He smiled ever so slightly at the sight of the flustered Duo. 'Cute.' he thought before he could stop himself. His own face turned a slight shade of pink as he realized what he just thought. He stumbled to talk, not giving his traitorous thoughts anymore time to develop.

"It's alright. Anyway, come on, the guest room is on the third floor."

"Whaaat?! Another set of stairs?" Duo was sure he would end up killing himself by having to go up and down two flights of stairs everyday, what with him being so clumsy and all. Heero chuckled under his breath at the disgruntled boy. Duo sure was amusing. Heero hadn't laughed that much in a while. Not since his mother died anyway.

When they finally reached the room that would now be Duo's, Heero opened the door and stepped aside for the boy to enter. Duo walked in the room as Heero flicked on the light and was awestruck. The bed was huge and looked incredibly soft. The sheets were a deep red and there were four, large pillows of the same color on top of the comforter. The walls of the room were decorated in the same, deep red as the bed, but they also had flecks and splatters of gold paint on top. There were pictures of what looked like Japanese kanji adorning the walls and a large dresser with a vase of bamboo stalks on top. Over all, the room had a very Asian feel to it.

"Wow." Duo whispered. He turned to Heero, an amazed look on his face. "This...this is..._beautiful_." Heero smirked.

"I thought you would like it." he said and then paused for a moment. "Tomorrow, we'll go online and find you some clothes. For now, there are a few of my things in the dresser you can wear. They'll probably be too big, but they should do for now." Heero turned to leave and was stopped by Duo before he was able to reach the door.

"Heero, why are you being so nice to me?" Duo finally asked the question that had been bothering him all day. Heero just looked at Duo, their eyes meeting in a clash of blue and violet. He looked Duo in the eye and began to speak.

"Since the moment I met you, I could tell that you were kind and friendly. I knew you were not a bad person, you were just mislead. I wanted to give you an opportunity to redeem yourself and be able to have a better life." Heero walked out of the door and turned before closing it. "Goodnight." Duo was shocked at what he just heard. No one had ever said anything like that to him before and he was surprised even more by the fact that it came from someone he had barely known for a few days. Still a bit dazed, Duo whispered a quiet 'goodnight' as a soft smile spread across his face.

xxx

**TBC**

**A/N:** Wow, I finally updated. I hope you guys like the extra long chapter!! Oh, and I know the _RENT_ thing may seem a little random but I really wanted to use it as a way for Heero and Odin to begin to understand Duo and how he grew up. That way they can all start to get to know each other and we can get on to the romance...hehehe - Also, a little side disclaimer of sorts, the whole description thing for RENT is not mine. I was trying to make the little info thing like on digital cable or satellite. Except for the very beginning, (Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, (2005)), I copied the whole thing directly from the back of the DVD case. And, lastly, I want to thank all of my reviewers. You guys rock!

Byesies!


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language (General warnings for whole story.)

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N:** Hey, you guys!! I'm here with another chapter for ya. I know it's started to kind of take longer for me to update and I is sowwy for that, but bear with me. My laptop quit working and I nearly lost everything. Thankfully, it's back up and running though. And, I know this chapter is kind of short, but I had a small case of writer's block and where I ended it just felt right to end it there.

_**Chapter VIII**_

"DAMMIT!" came an angered yell. A loud crash soon followed as a television remote found itself slammed into the far wall. Solo stood in the middle of the room, staring at the television with anger and hatred burning in his eyes. He had been sitting in the living room of the small apartment, watching the news when a reporter came on talking about the upcoming case, The State of New York vs. Duo Maxwell.

_'"Earlier today, Judge Marissa Shanks made her ruling in the bond hearing for the defendant, Duo Maxwell. The prosecutor for the case, Heero Yuy, made a groundbreaking suggestion for what he thought would be the best course of action for the boy. As a result of the hearing, Odin Lowe now has temporary custody of Duo Maxwell, who has been restricted to house arrest. Let's go now to correspondent, Jason Harris. Jason, hello."_

"_Hi Natasha."_

"_Jason, what do you think about the rulings of Judge Marissa?"_

"_Personally, I think Mr. Yuy and everyone else associated with this ruling have lost their minds. This kid **assaulted** Mr. Lowe and now he's **living** with him? My bet is that, in a couple of weeks, we'll be hearing about the double homicide of the Yuy-Lowe family. What I don't understand is why the Judge presiding over this case allowed it in the first place."'_

Solo was fuming. 'Now what? Everything's ruined. And it's all thanks to that stupid prosecutor. Duo was supposed to take the fall and get locked up and that was supposed to be the end of it. I'll just have to come up with another plan." Solo smiled a maliciously as he thought of all the possibilities.

xxx

Duo sat on the sofa, eyes downcast. He had gotten up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, and decided to watch tv. He had been watching the news when he saw the story about none other than himself. Looking at the ground, Duo felt tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Did everybody really think that he would hurt the only people who believed in him. It upset him to think that just because he was an orphan and he had a history of petty theft, people would actually believe he was capable of something like murder. As the tears that Duo had been doing so well to keep inside finally made their escape and rolled down his cheeks, he heard someone descending the stairs. The hall light was turned on and the area was flooded with a luminescent glow. Duo tried to wipe his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of the evidence of his tears.

"Duo?" came a quiet voice from across the room. Duo was immediately able to identify the voice as Heero's.

"Yeah?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice from cracking. It was to no avail, however, because Heero heard the cracking and trembling in Duo's voice right away. He crossed the room in a couple of long strides and sat beside Duo on the couch.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, his voice soothing and full of concern. He really had no idea why he felt the need to be so kind to the boy, but he had had the overwhelming urge to protect and care for him. That feeling had been plaguing him ever since the first time he looked into the large, amethyst depths of Duo's eyes. Heero was snapped from his thoughts as Duo answered his question.

"N-nothing." Heero chuckled a bit at Duo's pathetic attempt at hiding his feelings.

"Duo, I'm a lawyer. You're going to have to do better than that if you want to fool me." He then reached his arm around Duo and began to rub his back in a soothing motion. Duo stiffened at the touch initially, startled by the bold action, but quickly relaxed and leaned into the hand on his back. "Now, what's the matter." Duo sniffled a couple of times before silent tears began to run down his face once more. He looked up at Heero, who was taken aback by the beauty of the one before him. Duo's eyes were shining with tears, the light from the hall adding to their brilliance. His face was flushed, his nose and cheeks pink, and two tracks of tears made his face glisten. Duo's chocolate bangs framed his heart-shaped face and there were strands that had escaped his braid during the hours before. All in all, Heero couldn't figure out how someone could look so stunningly beautiful without trying at all. After looking at Heero for a moment, Duo began to speak.

"I-I was w-w-watching the tv. a-and the reporters th-think I'm g-g-gonna k-kill you a-and M-mr. Lowe." By the time Duo was finished, he had dissolved into tears once more and they were falling at a faster pace this time. Heero just pulled the boy to his side and wrapped both arms around him. He wasn't able to hide his chuckle and this made Duo look up at him with the cutest of glares.

"Why are you laughing at me?" he asked, put off, as he sniffed. Heero just chuckled more and ruffled Duo's hair.

"You shouldn't let them get to you. What they said isn't true. You know that and I know that. That's all that matters. All they are is a bunch of blood thirsty vultures who want to stir up trouble." Heero looked down at Duo, who nodded, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. Duo looked up and met Heero's eyes and they stayed like that for a moment, both losing themselves in the depths of the other's eyes. Before either knew what was happening, they were gravitating closer and closer to each other. Their eyes slowly closed as their lips touched, shy and chaste at first, but quickly gaining passion. Duo wrapped his arms around Heero's waist as the other boy placed his hand on Duo's neck, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss even further. Duo let out a small moan as Heero ran his tongue along his bottom lip before nibbling on it. Heero took advantage of the noise and slipped his tongue inside Duo's moist cove. Duo shyly met Heero's tongue with his own and slowly moved it in tandem with the other. The two went on for what seemed like a lifetime before breaking apart for precious oxygen. Heero rested his forehead against Duo's, smiling at him while trying to regain his breath. He stroked his hand through Duo's hair, which was, in fact, as soft as it appeared. Duo giggled a little, his face flushed bright red.

"Wow." he whispered. "That was amazing." Duo's words were quickly followed by a large yawn. Heero laughed and swooped in to give Duo a quick kiss before he rose to his feet and spoke.

"Come on. Since you can't seem to sleep, you can stay in my room." Duo smiled a true smile, took the hand Heero offered to him, and stood. They made their way to Heero's room, stopping by Duo's to grab his pillows on the way. As they entered Heero's room, Duo stopped, in awe of the bed. It was huge, at least twice as big as the bed in the guest bedroom. In a fit of childishness, Duo ran to the bed and leaped in the air, coming down on the fluffy mattress with a bounce. Heero laughed at the boy, walking over to the bed and situating himself under the covers. Duo smiled and crawled under the covers as well, snuggling up to Heero's side. He rested his head on Heero's chest and draped an arm across his stomach. Heero wrapped an arm around Duo and gently kissed the top of his head.

"Goodnight Heero." Duo whispered before falling into a deep, peaceful slumber.

"Goodnight Duo. Aishiteru." Heero whispered back and proceeded to get the best night's sleep he had ever had.

**TBC...**

**A/N:** Well, there ya go. Finally some fluff. I know it seems like it's a bit early for them to be getting together, but it's just the calm before the storm. Hehe. Hope you guys enjoyed this chappie! -


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:**The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Author:**YaoiGoddessNekoJin

**Rating:**T

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Violence, Blood, Slight Language (General warnings for whole story.)

**Disclaimer:**I, in no way, own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I wish I did though. -

**A/N:** Alright, so, I couldn't log on yesterday so I went ahead and started another chappie in the mean time. Enjoy!

_**Chapter IX**_

The bright rays of the sun filtered through the curtains, announcing that morning had arrived. Heero was pulled from the realm of dreams by the warmth of the sun on his face and a strange tickling sensation on his nose. Cobalt blue eyes slowly opened and Heero groggily took in the world around him. He blinked a couple of times in an attempt to clear his vision, already feeling that something wasn't right. Heero felt an odd heat flanking the front of his body and felt something soft and warm under his arm. He noticed that whatever it was beside him was moving up and down at a gentle pace. Finally, he was able to see clearly and was met with a mass of chocolate brown hair under his face. He gasped softly as he realized what the object was that was beside him. Duo was laying on his side in front of Heero. They were facing each other and had their arms wrapped around one another. Duo had burrowed his head into Heero's chest and Heero had his face buried in Duo's hair, which, he noticed, smelled like strawberries. The memories of the night before came flooding back to Heero as he fully grasped onto consciousness. His eyes widened in horror and he swiftly but carefully detached himself from Duo and got out of the bed. His recollection of their chat and kiss sent Heero's mind into overdrive. 'No no no no.' he thought. 'This isn't good.' Heero looked down at the slumbering boy on his bed. When Heero got out of the bed, Duo had grabbed his pillow and curled up around it. Half of his hair had come out of its braid and Heero found himself longing to run his fingers through it. He immediately pulled himself from such thoughts. 'Getting romantically involved with a defendant is not a good idea. I can be disbarred for this.'

xxx

Duo awoke to the sound of a bird singing outside the window. He opened his amethyst eyes and blinked, yawning widely and stretching. The first thing Duo noticed, when he was coherent enough to think, was that he was alone in the bed. 'Heero must have gotten up already.' Duo thought to himself, glancing around the room. He smiled softly to himself as he remembered the night before. It was really the first time, other than Solo, that someone had expressed such an interest in him. It made him immensely happy to think that Heero cared enough about him to try and keep him happy, not to mention kissing him. Duo's smile widened as he gently ran a finger across his lips. He could still feel Heero's lips melding gently against his from the night before. Suddenly, however, Duo did a double take when he realized that he was no longer in Heero's room, but in the guest bedroom. Duo was thoroughly confused. He had no idea why Heero would take him to the guest room. Not after last night. Duo thought that the kiss he and Heero shared had meant something. His happiness came crashing down around him as he realized that, maybe, Heero was just toying with him. That thought cut through Duo's heart like a knife. He reached one, shaking, pale hand up and grabbed at his chest. He felt tears come to his eyes, but thought better of letting them fall. He decided he would get Heero's thoughts on the subject before he spazzed out about it. But that didn't mean that it still didn't hurt. Duo got up from the bed and began to get ready to go down for breakfast.

xxx

Heero sat down at the dining room table once he was finished setting it. Moments later, Odin came through the doorway carrying a tray with various serving dishes full of food on it. Even though they were rich, Odin didn't have any servants. He liked doing things for himself, especially cooking. Many of New York's rich looked down on him for this fact, but no one dared to say anything to him about it. He and his son were too important and powerful for anyone to risk angering them.

Once Odin set up the serving dishes, he sat down beside Heero and looked at the boy. It wasn't hard for him to recognize the troubled scowl on the boy's face. Odin watched Heero for a moment before speaking.

"What's the matter Heero?" he asked in a matter of fact way. Heero didn't move from staring at his empty plate before answering in a clipped tone.

"Nothing." Odin laughed heartily at th his son's response. It always amused him to no end how his son acted like a pouting toddler when he was agitated.

"Oh really?" he questioned in a non-believing voice. Heero looked up and glared at his father. He hated how he was always able to immediately see through him when something was bothering him. He found it extremely annoying.

"I'm fine. Just drop it." he growled out. Odin just chuckled at him before deciding to play around with his son.

"So, what do you think about Duo?" Heero's head snapped up and he glared at his father once more. He didn't answer, instead opting to stare, once more, at his empty plate. Odin smirked and decided poke more fun at Heero. "With the way you act around him, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you like him." This got a rise out of Heero as he whipped his head up and his glare, once more directed at Odin, intensified ten-fold. He clenched his fists under the table before answering his father.

"Well, obviously you're wrong. I don't _like_ him, I'm just doing my job. If I can win his trust and friendship, then, just maybe, I can get him to tell me who his accomplice was. That's it, nothing more. Got it?" Heero ground out through gritted teeth, his fists clenching even tighter on his lap. Odin just sat there and stared at his son. He was taken aback by the force and anger behind Heero's words. He was also disappointed at what his son had said. Even though they had only known him for a couple of days, Odin could tell that Duo was good for Heero. Since his arrival the day before, Heero had already began smiling and laughing more than he had in a long time. But, now, Odin was watching with immense sadness as his son reverted back to his old self. He didn't know what had happened in the span of a night to bring on this change, but he was going to find out. The two sat in complete silence, the food slowly growing cold, as they waited for Duo to come down so they could all eat.

xxx

Duo silently padded down the stairs, intent to get some food for his growling stomach and question Heero about the night before. He could already smell the food and unconsciously licked his lips. As he came to the entrance to the dining room, he stopped as he heard Odin and Heero talking. Heero sounded irritated. He decided to hide behind the wall at the entrance and listen to what was being said. 'This is probably a bad idea.' he thought. 'What if I get caught while I'm eavesdropping.' He quickly averted his attention back to the two in the other room as he heard Odin begin to speak again.

"With the way you act around him, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you like him." Duo blushed at that. He felt happiness and joy rush through him at the words. 'Does Mr. Lowe really think that Heero likes me?' He smiled, but it quickly fell when he heard Heero begin to talk.

"Well, obviously you're wrong. I don't _like_ him, I'm just doing my job. If I can win his trust and friendship, then, just maybe, I can get him to tell me who his accomplice was. That's it, nothing more. Got it?" Duo's hand flew to his mouth to stop the any noise from coming through. His eyes filled with tears as his breathing became more rapid. He couldn't believe what he just heard. So, Heero was only nice to him because he wanted Duo to tell him about Solo? He acted like he liked him just to get more information out of him? Heero didn't actually like him at all, he was just doing his job. Duo was unable to stop the tears as they began to flow freely down Duo's face. He felt like his heart was going to explode. Duo's vision began to swim and the world around him began to spin. After about ten minutes of just standing their in shock, Duo realized that Heero and Odin were waiting for him to come down so they could eat breakfast. He tried to calm his voice enough so he could speak and stepped out, his bangs covering his eyes.

"I'm not hungry. Go ahead without me" he whispered swiftly before turning on his heel and running up the stairs. He ran into his room, locking the door on the way, and threw himself on the bed. He began to sob into his pillow, an empty and hopeless feeling overwhelming him. As he lay there, overcome by anguish, his lithe body wracked be sobs, he began a mental tirade against himself. 'How could I be so stupid? Of course he doesn't like me. Nobody has ever liked me. I'm just a worthless street rat who doesn't deserve to live. Solo's the only person who's ever cared about me. I'll bet Heero was lying when he said Solo didn't like me just to get me to betray him.' Duo cried harder at the thought of the friend he left behind. He really missed Solo. Duo spent the better part of the next couple of hours crying before he finally dozed off into a fitful sleep where he was plagued by nightmares.

**TBC...**

**A/N: **Bwahahaha! Let the angst begin. Hehe. We finally get to see another side of Heero emerge. I've finally regained the direction I want to take this story in, so maybe I'll be able to pop out more chapters over the next few days. I still have no idea how long it's going to be. Hehe. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it! R&R


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